And timing this beer blast well after the autumnal harvest is precisely what production company Starfish Junction Productions had in mind.

“October is a very busy time with the whole Oktoberfest feel, so we wanted to hold our event at a time of year when people were looking for fun things to do and gather with their friends pre-holiday and were in a good mood and ready to try some great beer,” noted Starfish Junction’s Lynda Calimano.

For a $40 advance online ticket ($50 at the door) connoisseurs of the magic that can happen when hops and barley commingle get a chance to truly savor the vibrancy of the artisanal beer scene.

With more than 70 breweries tapping into dozens of spirited varieties, there will be something to please all beer, lager, stout and ale aficionados during two sessions at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on Saturday.

Starfish Junction first tweaked its award-winning Philly Craft Beer Festival for the suburban market last December, when the inaugural Valley Forge Beer Fest treated Expo audiences to the handiwork of more than 60 indie and world-renowned breweries.

Since then, the expectations-defying event has grown even more, Calimano said.

“The response from the breweries, brewery reps and distributors has been absolutely amazing,” Calimano said. “The brewery list is an evolving one. Some breweries that couldn’t make it last year are able to make it this year, or possibly a distributor picks up one or two new brands that are now distributed in Pennsylvania and they can now come to the show.”

Setting the iconic Valley Forge theme in motion again, “George Washington” will be back entertaining crowds and offering up tastings of Yards Brewing Company’s specialty Ales of the Revolution, based on bona fide recipes of the Revolutionary War.

“He went the whole route in being authentic,” Calimano said. “He didn’t drink out of a plastic tasting cup but drank out of a pewter cup because that’s what he would have used back in his time.”

The event will raise money for the Committee to Benefit the Children, a Philadelphia-based charity that provides resources for treatment, care and family support for area kids with cancer, leukemia and serious blood disorders.

Ticket holders who bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the children’s food drive will receive a free raffle ticket.